Lucky answered with a quick, “Still out, but hopefully nothing more than a concussion.”
Other than a few out-of-place hairs and a new hole that had been ripped across the left knee of his jeans, there wereno other obvious signs that the handsome tech specialist had just survived a plane crash.
Holy crap. Our plane just crashed. The pilot is dead. Donovan is bleeding like a stuck pig, and there’s jet fuel spilling outside?—
“You got his head?”
The question came from Logan, pulling Kaamisha out of her spinning thoughts.
“Yes.” She nodded with confidence she didn’t quite possess. “I’ve got him.”
But even as she uttered the claim, her chest grew tight, and her stomach churned with dread. She didn’t want to do anything to injure him further.
You can do this. You have to help these men get him out of the aircraft and to safety.
“You have to keep his head and neck as still as possible,” Archer instructed from a few feet away. “It won’t be as good as a brace, but I don’t know if we even have one on board, so let’s get him outside first and worry about the rest later.”
Doing her best to hold pressure on the slowly-bleeding wound, she positioned her hands so that they covered the cut while also holding his handsome head in place. Logan and Chase stood to Donovan’s left while Archer and Lucky made their way to the injured man’s right.
“Just like in the field, boys.” Logan took charge of the unbelievable scene.
Apparently no further instruction was needed.
Kaamisha watched in awe as all four men bent down and reached for their friend. After carefully rolling Donovan so that he was flat on his back, Logan fisted the shirt at Donovan’s shoulder with one hand while grabbing the top of his pant leg with the other.
Intertwining his body with Logan’s, Chase got a firm grip on Donovan’s leather belt while holding onto a section of his jeans that was down lower, near the ankle. Mirroring their movements, Archer and Lucky did the same, and then?—
“On the count of three,” Logan announced. “One…two…”
On three, they lifted their teammate up and began walking backward with cautious steps.
“You good?” Archer turned his brown eyes her way. “You’ve got the head, so you start to lose your grip, let us know so we can help.”
“I’m good,” she promised.
I won’t let him fall.
She had to kick-walk her way into the aisle to keep from tripping over her dress. In the back of her mind, Kaamisha made the mental note to never fly in anything but jeans again as the five of them worked together to get Donovan to the exit Archer had opened on his way out of the plane.
It took a few stops and starts, and several careful movements between them, but soon they were able to make it safely outside. Under Logan’s orders, Kaamisha and the others carried the man in their arms several yards away before laying him gently onto the grass.
“Holy shit,” Chase exclaimed. “I can’t believe we all made it out of that thing alive.”
Kaamisha glanced up, the air in her lungs becoming frozen as she got her first look at the wreckage. The nose of the jet had nearly been ripped completely away, along with half of the cockpit.
The wing on this side had snapped in two, and the rest of the jet was leaning halfway on the paved runway with the other half lying in the grass lining the private strip. A few random fires littered the ground around it, but from what she could tell, the immediate danger had passed.
On second thought, I may never step foot on a plane again.
Her heart felt heavy as she sent up another silent prayer for the poor pilot who’d lost his life. Then she gave thanks for being spared, along with Donovan and his team.
Speaking of…
She lowered herself to her knees, not worried in the leastabout staining her already ruined dress. Her concern was for Donovan, who was still out cold, and she immediately lowered her head and began to pray.
Almost under her breath, Kaamisha spoke with sincerity as she asked for God’s healing touch. She recited words she’d long-ago been taught. For him. His team. And for the poor pilot and his family who would no doubt mourn their loss.
“Be right back.” Archer’s muttered words reached her ears.
